Holder for playing-cards.



No. 644,623. Patented Mar. 6, I900. F MUELLER HOLDER FOR PLAYING CARDS.

(Appl t nfild-Tan 9 1899) (No Model.)

w: minus PETERS ca. vno'mumm WASHING FREDERICK MUELLER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO 0. F. RUMPP & SONS, OF SAME PLACE.

HOLDER FOR PLAYING-CARDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 0. 644,623, dated March 6, 1900.

Application filed January 9, 1899.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK MUELLER, of Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Holders for Playing- Oards, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to holders for playing-cards; and it consists of the improvements which are fully set forth in the following specification and are shown in the accompanying drawings.

It is the object of my invention to provide a convenient holder for a pack of playingcards which shall firmly hold the cards, so that they shall not be liable to drop out and at the same time shall have the appearance of a small book, with the edges of the cards appearing as the leaves of the book.

My invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved card-holder. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same opened with the cards removed. Fig. 3 is atransverse sectional view, enlarged, on the line a: a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional View on the line y 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the opened card-holder and pack of cards on a reduced scale. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the back portion of the holder, illustrating a modification; and Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional View of the same on the line ,2 z of Fig. 5.

The card-holderembraces'the two covers A A and the back B, to which they are united like the covers of a book.

0 is the pack of cards, which is retained between the covers A A, with one edge resting against the inside of the back B. The appearance of the holder and contained cards is that of a closed book, in which the pack of cards represents the leaves of the book. This effect is materially heightened by imparting a concave curvature to the outer edge of the pack of cards, as shown at c. This effect is readily produced by making the inner face of back B concave, so that when the inner edge of the pack of cards is placed in contact with it the cards will assume a corresponding curvature, as shown in Fig. 3.

For the purpose of retaining the cards in Serial No. 701,553. (N0 model.)

place within the holder and preventing them moving longitudinally the back B is provided at its ends with inwardly-projecting pieces I) b, which project a slight distance over the ends of the pack when contained in the holder. The covers A A may be provided with the flaps a a and provided with fasteners f, usual in certain classes of books, for the purpose of holding the covers of the holder closed.

In my preferred construction the concave back for imparting the concave curvature to the outer edge of the cards is produced by employing a strip D, of metal or other comparatively inflexible material,having an inner concave face 01 and carrying the card-retaining pieces I) b at its ends.

In my preferred construction of the holder I employ two pieces 3 t, of leather, cloth, or other suitable material, between which the pieces E E, which form the body of the covers, and the back-piece D are located, with the projections b b of the latter, extending through slits in the inner piece 5. The pieces 8 23 may be glued together or sewed or secured in any convenient manner. By ex tending the edge of the pieces 5 t beyond the ends of the back B and edges of the coverpieces E E the flexible margin 0", usual in certain classes of books, may be produced. The convex back of the piece D produces a convex back in the holder.

If desired,the piece D maybe made in parts, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5, or the retaining-pieces b b may be made separate from the body of the back-strip, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. In this case a fiat strip D is shown instead of the curved strip D, and

the projections b b are carried by angle-.

pieces b 71, arranged at the ends of the strip D, but separate therefrom. These separate projections 19 b may of course be used with a concave strip, if desired.

The pack of cards 0 is placed between the projections 12 b, with its inner edge in contact with the back of the book, and when the covers are closed the exact appearance of a closed book is produced. If desired, the outer faces of the retaining projections 17 b may be gilded, enameled, or colored to correspond with the color of the edges of the cards, so that they will not be visible except upon close examination.

For the purpose of more perfectly guiding, centering, and retaining the pack of cards in the holder the back may be provided with side-retaining guides or pieces (I d, carried by the back and located between the ends thereof and projecting inwardly and adapted to extend over the outer faces of the cards adjacent to the inner edge. These side-retaining guides may be made either integral with the back-piece D, as shown in Figs. 2, 4, and 5, or separate therefrom, asillustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, and one or more of such pieces may be used on each side, and they maybe made of any extent in length that may be desired. I

The minor details of construction may be varied without departing from the invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. A holder for playing-cards, composed of a back-piece, two cover-pieces E, E, independent thereof, the coverings s, 25, arranged respectively over the inner and outer faces of the back-piece and cover-pieces and extending beyond the edges thereof and end-retaining pieces 6, b, located at the ends of the backpiece and projecting inwardly through the inner covering 5.

2. A holder for playing-cards, composed of a back-piece, two cover-pieces E, E, independent thereof, the coverings s, t, arranged respectively over the inner and outer faces of the back-piece and cover-pieces and extending beyond the edges thereof and endretaining pieces I), I), located at the ends of the back-piece and projecting inwardly through the inner covering 3 and side-retaining pieces (1, (I, located at the sides of the back and also projecting through the inner covering 8.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

FREDERICK MUELLER.

Witnesses:

ERNEST HOWARD HUNTER, JOSEPH W. KENwon'rHv. 

